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I am in the market for a 1 ct Round or Princess Cut Solitaire Diamond for a platinum 4 prong engagement ring (simple Tiffany look). Based on the reading I have done online, it looks like Ideal cut, H color, 1 carat, SI1 clarity would be best. Also I am looking around the high $5000 to mid $6000 range for the round (maybe a bit less like mid $4000 to mid $5000 for a princess cut – not much more than $6500 for either). I’d like to get something off the James Allen site if possible.
A few questions…
1) Why is a princess cut with the same/similar specs as a round cut usually priced less?
2) Could you make a recommendation for both the round and princess?
First, you should stop looking at carat weight and focus on the ‘face’ of the diamond. A 1ct round diamond will have a diameter of 6.5mm (if its well cut), while the sides of a 1ct princess will be about 5.6mm. I can explain the technical reasons why its more expensive, but it has to do with the yield from the rough to polish (round diamonds lose about 50% of the material when cutting, and a princess cut loses about 28%).
You should decide which shape you like, and go for the biggest you can in that size. FYI, here is our article on diamond size:
I did some looking around on the James Allen site, and this princess cut diamond looks good to me for price and the specs (that I described in the email on the bottom). I would like to get a platinum 4 prong engagement ring (simple Tiffany look) to mount it on.
Could you give me your recommendation on this or possibly offer up
a better alternative? Thanks so much for your help.
Honestly, I prefer the cut (specifically the depth%) on these two:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.00-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-182271?a_aid=dmnd1357
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.01-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-171841?a_aid=dmnd1357
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
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